Mill to Mace to Malec
by MauMaster
Summary: Magnus has been with so many people over the centuries and he can describe them in so many ways. Only one deserves a whole new word - Alec.


**Title: **Mill to Mace to Malec

**Summary: **_Magnus has been with so many people over the centuries and he can describe them in so many ways. Only one deserves a whole new word - Alec._

**Notes: **Well, I admit, I got this idea a while ago. I first thought "Hm. Magnus seems to be with everyone. Let's make fun tabloid names!" And then realized that two of the names I got were Mill and Mace (which sounds rather painful, and considering the two involved - Jace and Magnus- it probably would be). I decided I wanted to make a fic out of it. And then the teaser from October (I think?) came out where Alec asks Magnus who Will was, and, well... I had to. This will be in _three parts, _only because I'm eager to get this out and have literally three sentence of Mace so far.

Enjoy Mill! Personally, I'm converted.

(I thought about doing some Magnus/Camille, and actually, Magnus/Mayrse popped into my head - don't ask why, I'm not sure - but they didn't really fit into this for me. Maybe some other time. After CoFA and CP, I'll see their relationships a bit more, it might be a little more realistic. Unfortunately, we don't know Camille and Mayrse very well, though we're on our way with our favorite female vampire) (Our favorite male is Simon. I think. I don't know what you guys think, maybe you go for Raphael?)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, or anything else that belongs to Cassandra Clare. **

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1. Mill – MagnusxWill

_Mill- (n) 1. a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing 2. machinery that processes materials by grinding or crushing 3. the act of grinding to a powder or dust (v) 1. to move about in a confused manner 2. to grind with a mill_

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_"I'm here on my own account. I need your help. There is – there is absolutely no one else that I can ask."_

_"Really." Magnus looked at the boy more closely. Will was beautiful; Magnus had been in love many times throughout the years, and normally beauty of any sort moved him, but Will's never had. There was something dark about the boy, something hidden and strange that was hard to admire. He seemed to show nothing real to the world. Yet now, under his dripping black hair, he was as white as parchment; his hands clenched at his sides so tightly that they were shaking. It seemed clear that some terrible turmoil was ripping him apart from the inside out._

_Magnus reached behind him and locked the parlor door. "Very well," he said. "Why don't you tell me what the problem is?"_

-_Clockwork Angel**,** US edition, pages 475 and 476_

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"I… she…" Will began, but his speech was obviously as jumbled as his mind. "I'm not entirely sure."

"Ah," Magnus said. He placed his hands firmly on Will's shoulders, steering him towards a seat closer to the fire. "Women problems."

Will nodded, his muscles tensed.

"I must wonder why you came to me for assistance. Surely your friends could help?" Magnus took a seat opposite Will and folded his hands in his lap.

There were lines in Will's face. It pained Magnus to see. He was far too young to have those lines. It simply wasn't fair for him to be put under so much pressure. It was one of the reasons Magnus held some contempt for Shadowhunters – they forced their children to mature before they were ready.

No wonder the Enclave acted like a bunch of toddlers fighting over a toy sometimes.

The black haired boy shook his head slowly. "Jem is rather invested in the situation," he admitted.

Magnus bit the inside of his lip, thinking. "You have no other acquaintances? William, I'm sure there must be _someone _who likes you."

Will sighed and looked away. Magnus felt like he probably said the wrong thing and tried to amend it. "Besides, isn't this something you ought to be discussing with your father, perhaps? Or a father figure?" he tacked on, because he was well aware of the orphan epidemic.

Another thing about stupid Shadowhunters. They procreated like rabbits, yet then went and got themselves killed, leaving their children to mourn.

Will's eyes hardened. "My father is of no importance to me and there's nobody in my life that I could call a father. I'm on my own in life – that's how it is."

Magnus nodded. "Of course. Understandable. Now, if you tell me the problem, maybe I can help."

"Tessa is slowly making me into a madman."

Magnus had to hold back the urge to stare at him in pure amusement. Tessa was quite interesting to Magnus – however many warlocks he had met in his life, none had been a shapeshifter with the ability to retain memories. And of the women, he rarely met one so sharp with her tongue and quick with her mind. Camille was an exception – the woman was a genius and had quite some time to become so.

"I'm sorry," was all Magnus could think to say. "Would you like me to dispose of her?"

Will didn't appear to think his joke was very funny. "If you touch her, warlock, I'll slit your throat as you sleep."

Magnus made a note to not be around the boy when he was _really_ in a fighting mood.

"I wouldn't think of it. Now, what exactly is making you go mad?" He felt like a doctor of some sort, examining a patient.

Will buried his face in his hands and his black hair hung limply, dripping on the carpet. "She… She just _tempts _me so! I _want_ her, more than I've ever wanted anyone before. I've wanted a lot of women, but none like I want her. And she… she _won't._ It's not like we even have to be frightened of her conceiving! She was upset about that the other day, too. What is it with women and wanting children?"

"I couldn't tell you," Magnus admitted. "Again, why did you come to me?"

"You've been around longer than I have. Longer than Jem and Henry and I combined, likely. _They've_ never been tempted like this. Jem is as young as I am, and too afraid to encounter women because he doesn't want to get attached. And Henry… Henry has only ever loved Charlotte, so I doubt he has much experience." Will still had his hands over his face, rubbing at his eyelids viciously. "I need to make it stop! I… I suggested it. I asked her if she'd like to make love, to have sexual intercourse, and she said _no_, and I was hoping I could just get it out of my system and –"

Magnus couldn't take this anymore. He stood quickly and crossed the room to put a hand on Will's shoulder. Will cut off his sentence and looked up at Magnus in confusion, waiting for the warlock to speak.

"Please stop talking."

"What do I do?"

Magnus had to mull this over for a few seconds. This was going to be a risk, but if it would stop this beautiful boy from tormenting himself any longer, perhaps it could be a help.

He took a deep breath. "It's simple. Distract yourself."

"With another girl? Bane, I don't think you understand, you wouldn't let me finish – I can't focus on a girl besides her."

Now he was just whining. Magnus pulled the still shivering Will to his feet and slid his hand down to Will's wrist. He tugged him towards the fire, towards the warmth, before letting go.

"It's hard to take your focus from one person to another," Magnus admitted. "But perhaps you can shock your brain into thinking about something else. Admittedly, I'm becoming immune to this method, but perhaps it will work for you."

"What do you mean?" Will's blue eyes suddenly became suspicious.

Magnus shrugged. "Camille? Very good at _many_ things, if you understand what I mean. De Quincey? The thought of him makes me want to vomit."

Will nodded slowly. "I understand… I understood that when we met."

"So, let's put it this way. Kissing Tessa?"

"Fuel for the torture," Will said immediately.

"This ought to put it out, just a bit." And Magnus pressed his lips to Will's gently.

It was odd, certainly. Magnus was generally careful of whom he had relationships with. Women were one thing. Most – a majority, actually – didn't oppose his witty charm and respectful, even if rushed, courting. Men, on the other hand… He generally made sure that they were interested in him the same way as he was interested in them. The one time it didn't, it led to unpleasant events. He didn't fancy being slapped and told he was damned again. He already knew it – he was a demon's child, after all – but it wasn't fun to have it shoved in his face.

Well, now he was simply hoping for the best.

Will, surprisingly, did not stay still, nor did he pull away. He held Magnus's face in his trembling hands, his fingers sliding down until they were against his pulse. Magnus mindlessly let his hands entangle in Will's wet locks, holding him carefully as if he might break.

Magnus was almost afraid he would.

Will leaned into him and his wet clothes soaked through Magnus's warm, dry ones, but it almost didn't matter because body heat was keeping him comfortable and Will was acting so out of the ordinary that he could almost imagine _liking _the boy, even with his horrible, conceited personality.

They broke away fast once the reality of the circumstance set in. Will actually yanked himself away so quickly that Magnus was left with strands of black hair in between his fingers.

"Oh my God," he murmured, touching his lips with some care.

Magnus crossed his arms. "Did I help with your problem?"

Will glared. "No, now I'm wishing you were _her!_"

Magnus bit down a laugh. It really wasn't that funny. "I apologize. I didn't realize I was so talented at kissing that I would leave you wishing Tessa matched my skill." He grinned a little. It actually _was_ quite funny. "Tell you what. Go… Grab a drink somewhere. Kill a demon. Whatever. Pretend that this never happened."

"You bloody kissed me."

"I was curious to see if it would aid you before allowing you to drown your troubles in alcohol. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I ought to leave my healing skills to the physical injuries and not the mind, don't you think?" Magnus glanced at the sparking fire and then at the Shadowhunter boy covered in scars. All those scars on someone so young… It was killing him. He hated seeing it, again and again, on those who didn't choose their lives, didn't choose their careers, but were utterly devoted to the cause. Brainwashed. The Law burned into their brains in a way that they could never shake. It was like those runes branded them with every touch of a stele until they were more cattle than human. The murmur slipped past his lips before he could stop it. "The mind was what ruined him, too."

Will didn't acknowledge this, and Magnus hoped he didn't hear.

Will didn't turn on his heel and stalk off, as expected. He didn't glare or make a rude comment, as usual. Instead, he sunk into the chair again.

"I've kissed Jem before," Will admitted in a small voice. "It was friendly, platonic, that's all, so don't give me that look, Bane." Magnus rolled his eyes and tried to remain stoic as Will continued. "He's my best friend. We depend on each other for everything. We haven't got families, we haven't got much of a future… We've got Shadowhunting and each other. And now Tessa. But…" His face fell. "We can't share her. We can share our training and our skills. We can give each other help and companionship. But we can't both have her and… _I_ want her."

So this was the true problem. "First of all," Magnus said. "It's not up to you. Tessa is a person, not property, as I'm sure you've begun to realize. Second of all, does it really matter?"

Will had his eyes shut tight, shaking his head. "You don't understand. He doesn't… She can't… She'll be hurt if she's with him. He's dying, you _know_ that, Bane. It's killing me just as steadily as him and why should she have to die in that same way? She's going to outlive him in so many centuries."

"She'll outlive you, too."

"But not by so long."

Magnus wasn't sure exactly how to put it, but delicately seemed to be a good idea. "When you are immortal, a year is a blip in your life. A century can be like three weeks. Whether you and Jem die within a fortnight of each other or within fifty years, it will not seem like a very long time to Tessa eventually. Death is death and time… It's irrelevant." He yawned and checked the clock. "Except for now. Now it's late and you ought to get out. I'm tired and going to bed whether you decide to sit here all night or not." He strode towards the door but halted a few feet away. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you much."

"I'm sorry about whoever you lost."

"Past is the past."

Magnus felt Will's hand on his shoulder, not squeezing it, just resting there. "Magnus, do I remind you of him?"

"Who?"

"The person you mentioned before. With the ruined mind."

Magnus turned around and stepped away from Will's reach. It was peculiar, he admitted, that he had wanted to be so close only moments before. "Not at all. You are… you are completely different. You are a conceited little brat with only sexual encounters on the mind and he is… was… Go away, Herondale."

He left the room before he could see Will respond and locked himself away upstairs.

It wasn't a lie when he said Will was nothing like him.

Will was the opposite.

But their scarred bodies and their mutilated minds… They were too similar to stand.

How many more people would be sacrificed for this cause?

Magnus was glad he had moved on from Shadowhunters. Camille and the vampire society were brutish in a different way, a way that he could handle. He didn't mind as much when it was obvious what was going on and the victims were aware of the fate they put themselves in.

He was slowly dying, perhaps more slowly than anyone in this world. And every scar he saw gracing an innocent child's skin just dug the knife deeper into his internal wound.

Shadowhunters were off limits, he decided.

Never again.

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Notes: I wrote this... and then realized that this last bit might backfire on Magnus in a little while. Oh well. He'll have some drama, which should be interesting.

Now. I need to finish my chem homework. If only school meant writing all day. it would be just as challenging, just as difficult, yet much more enjoyable.

I hope you enjoyed it! Next installment coming... when I can finish it? Sorry guys, I can't give a definite date. Hopefully by next month (Eep, that sounds bad). I'd love to hear your feedback. Also - anybody else now on Team Mill?


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